文/马祥生
昆明近日楼街景，城门上题有“还我河山”四个雄浑大字的标语。（威廉.迪柏摄）
七七事变73年纪念日，久无联络的凤凰城自勉老同学特意传来几张抗战时美国飞虎队在昆明拍摄的珍贵老照片——原来40年代初就有了彩色照片！感慨的同 时更是喜出望外，以上那张照片上的“还我河山”四个大字是我祖父所题，常听父母讲起60军出征打台儿庄以及祖父题词时的悲壮情怀，但一直却遗憾没见过真迹 与照片，这次，正所谓是“破铁鞋难觅处，得来全不费功夫”！
毋忘国耻！ 富国强兵！
刚抵达昆明空军基地，艾伦就和他的战友跑到飞机跑道上，站在一架鼻翼上绘着 鲨鱼图案的P40战斗机旁相互拍照，那是多么令人兴奋的时刻啊！这也将意味着很大可能会在异国他乡献出其宝贵的生命。（约翰.弗洛曼摄）
划船的村女一直很腼腆。（艾伦.拉森摄）
发送木材、石料及其它货物的商业活动位于城市附近的一条狭窄的水道上。看到岸边那些堆积 如山的木材和那里正从小船上搬运巨石的劳工们，谁都会对他们的力量和敏捷身手产生深刻的印象。（艾伦.拉森摄）
美军营房外，晾晒的衣服和休息的中国军人（威廉.迪柏摄）
可爱的女童军，手上拿的是可乐？还是写着洋文的冰棍？
——云南，真是个“土了掉渣，洋得要命”的地方！(艾伦.拉森摄)
“如同世界其他城市一样，时事新闻、历史事件和涉及到的人物， 都是市民们广泛关注的话题。虽然我们并不会阅读张贴在市区墙上那许多五颜六色的海报和新闻，但我们却很乐意和昆明的老百姓一起观看。”——这让艾伦回想起年幼时在波士顿，站在一群人中观看环球大厦 告示牌上用粉笔写的新闻的那种兴奋心情……(艾伦.拉森摄)
昆明护城河（威廉.迪柏摄）
小小年纪就知道扮酷摆甫士的昆明男童（威廉.迪柏摄）
修筑巫家坝机场跑道的军民（威廉.迪柏摄）
昆明城内的少妇和她的宝贝（威廉.迪柏摄）
戴首饰主要是为了辟邪的女童（威廉.迪柏摄）
手捧蚕茧心里老想着奖励的男孩（威廉.迪柏摄）
云南都督唐继尧为纪念首义护国推翻袁世凯而建立的护国门（威廉.迪柏摄）
此时，虽然整个气氛变轻松了，但解放军的面部表情依然还是有些拘谨。
乔（英语）：60多年前，我在云南的时候，就很关注延安，据说你们这支军队的总司令是由云南的军校培养出来的？
解放军排长（英语）：非常正确！朱总司令，他曾就读于云南讲武堂。
乔（英文）：我们也曾经借用过那个地方培养中国的空军......
解放军排长（英语）：这我知道。
乔（打量对方，英语）：连这你也知道？那只是很短暂的时间啊......
解放军排长点头。
乔（兴致高涨，英语）：那时候实行国共合作，正面战场由国民党的军队负责，***的军队主要负责敌后配合。
解放军排长（英语）：的确如此，中国政府在纪念抗日战争60周年之际特别强调过这一点。当时在中国，国难当头，人们放弃了彼此的政治歧见，一致对外。
乔（英语）：不仅仅在中国，而是在全世界，这是国际反法西斯的斗争，正义最终得到了伸张，而且我们获得了全面地胜利，中尉，我说得对吗？
解放军排长（英语）：对！
乔（英语）：所以，这属于我们共同并肩作战的历史，我们不应该忘记。
解放军排长（英语）：是！
乔（英文）：中尉，说了半天，我想冒昧地问一句，你对飞虎队到底了解多少？
解放军排长（立正，像对上司报告，一口气倒背如流，英语）：飞虎队是中国人民对美国援华空军的统称。它是1941年,陈纳德在罗斯福总统的暗中支持下,以私人机构名义,重金招募美军飞行员和机械机械师,以平民身份参战,7月和10月,200多人分两批来华,队员多半是勇敢,渴望冒险,性格不拘的年轻人,由于形式上并非正规军,他们的战术研究和训练反而得以自由挥洒,不久,他们在昆明初试身手,首战便对日本战机予以痛击, 此后并连创击落日机的佳绩,在31次空战中,志愿飞虎队员以5至20架可用的P-40型战斗机共击毁敌机217架,自己仅损失了14架,5名飞行员牺牲,1名被俘,‘中国空军美国志愿援华航空队’插翅飞虎队徽和鲨鱼头形战机机首名闻天下,其“飞虎队”的绰号也家喻户晓。在驼峰航线3年多，他们共向中国战场运送了80万吨急需物资,人员33477人。自己却损失了563架飞机,牺牲 1500多人。直至抗日战争结束,美国来华助战空军共击落日敌机2600架,击沉或重创223万吨敌商船,44艘军舰,13000艘100吨以下的内河船只,击毙日军官兵66700名,
乔（瞠目结舌，英语）：这也是你们当今的军事学院里教的？
解放军排长（英语）：没有，是我自己调查考证的。（继续补充）在飞虎队建立时，陈纳德将军将飞虎队编成3个中队：第一中队由前陆军驾驶员组成，队长是罗伯特·桑德尔，即‘亚当夏娃队’。第二中队外号‘熊猫队’，杰克·纽柯克指挥。第三中队由陆、海军和海军陆战队的驾驶员组成，命名为‘地狱天使’由阿维特·奥尔森担任中队指挥官。
乔（激动握住排长的手，英语）：我就属于熊猫中队，谢谢你！
解放军排长（仍立正，英语）：不客气，因为在这里长期驻守，所以对飞虎队特别感兴趣。
乔（英语）：好样的！中尉，我们都是同一阶级。
解放军排长（英语）：哦！您也是中尉！？......
——摘自《没有消失的地平线》文/马祥生
Joe
(in English)
More than Tibetan young woman years ago, while I was in Yunnan, I paid great attention to Yuan-an. I heard that your army commander graduated from Yunnan Military Academy?
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
That's correct! Commander Zhu studied at Yunnan Jian Wu Tang.
Joe
(in English)
We also borrowed that place to train Chinese airmen...
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
I heard about that.
Joe
(observe the other person, in English)
You even knew this? It was only for a short period of time.
Platoon leader nods.
Joe
(excitedly, in English)
At that time the implementation of the KMT-CPC cooperation, the Nationalist troops were responsible for front line battlefield, and the Communist troops were responsible for the post-war cooperation.
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
That's right, the Chinese government made an particular emphasis on this point on the 60th anniversary of the Sino-Japanese War. At that time of China, upon the national crisis, people gave up their political differences unanimously.
JOE
(in English)
Not only in China but around the world, it was an international anti-fascist fight, justice has finally been archived, and we got a complete victory, Lieutenant, am I right?
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
That's correct!
JOE
(in English)
So, this is the history of us fighting alongside, we shall not forget.
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
Yes!
JOE
(in English)
Lieutenant, we've been talking for awhile, mind me asking, how much do you really know about the Flying Tigers.
Platoon leader
(stands up straight, as if reporting to a superior, in a single breath, in English)
The Flying Tigers is what China refers to the U.S. aid to China Air Force. In 1941, Chennault with the silent support of President Roosevelt, on behalf of the private sector, with heavy rewards, recruited American pilots and mechanical engineers to join war as citizens. In July and October, more than 200 people arrived to China in two groups. The team members were mostly brave, eager to take risks, informal young people, because the structure was informal, their tactical research and training could be developed freely. And soon, they had their first chance to show their skills in Kunming. During the first battle they blew the Japanese fighters, since then, they even made a record by the success of shooting down Japanese aircrafts. During the 31 air combats, the voluntary Flying Tiger team used 5-20 available P-40 fighter jets to destroy 217 enemy aircrafts, their only loss of the 14 fighter jets, five pilots were sacrificed, one was prisoner, The American Volunteer Group (AVG)'s winged Tiger logo and their shark nosed fighter planes were known world wide. The "Flying Tigers" nickname was also known by everyone. 3 plus years in the Camel Hump Air Path, they transported to China battlefields 800 thousand tons of badly needed war materiel, 33,477 people. Have lost 563 aircrafts of their own, the expense of more than 1,500 people. Until the War ended, the AVG shot down 2,600 Japanese aircrafts, sunk or hit 2.23 million tons enemy merchant ships, 44 warships, 13,000 sub-100 river vessels, and killed 66,700 Japanese soldiers,
JOE
(surprised, in English)
Well done! You learned all that from military school back in the days?
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
No, that's form my own research.
(continues to fill in)
When creating the Flying Tiger teams, General Chennault divided the team into three squadrons: the first squadron composed by the former Army pilot captain, Robert Sandell, called 'Adam & Eves'. The second squadron nicknamed 'Panda Bears', Jack Newkirk command. The third squadron of the army, navy and Marine Corps pilots composition named 'Hells Angels' with Oley Olson served as squadron commander.
JOE
(excitedly holds leader's hand, in English)
I belonged to the “Panda Bears”, thank you!
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(stands straight, in English)
You are welcome, because I've been station here for long while, that's how I got interested in the Flying Tiger team.
JOE
(in English)
That's great! Lieutenant, we are of the same class.
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
Oh! You are a lieutenant too?
JOE
(in English)
Yes. Why are you doing this, aren't you afraid of military court?
People's Liberation Army platoon leader
(in English)
So you must hurry.
——"The Endless Horizon"
by
Ma Cheung Sang